Key Features:
Holds around 160 electronic books - expandable to more than 13,000 with a memory card
Easy-to-read, 6" eInk screen gives the feeling of reading a paper page
Smaller than a typical paperback - just 8mm thick
Intuitive controls and simple menu
You can add bookmarks, scroll smoothly down the page, read page-by-page or "fast forward" through the book
7000 page turns from a single battery charge

All Comments

Good price but I think it is worth noting that if you have a problem with this product after 3months play.com ask you to deal directly with the manufacturer. Sometimes that can be a good thing yet it is worth knowing. I do not have experience with dealing directly with Sony.

The price of this unit will most probably decrease between now and Xmas and I would imagine £150 will be the norm in the not too distant future. Then of course a new model could be on the horizon. Perhaps an extra £20 spent at John Lewis for the same product might be worth considering at this stage if one is not prepared to 'wait and see' what happens on price on this product. However voted hot.

I think the lack of a backlight gives this a limited use. I think the next edition of this will have one (and possible colour screen too). I expect that this model will go below £100 after Christmas, so I might get one then.

I'm intrigued at why people want a backlight. Do you demand backlights with your books?

Anyway - £80 less than I paid for mine 3 months ago so a great deal. I won't repeat all I said on the other thread but will highly recommend Calibre - a great free piece of software that converts a lot of formats such as pdf as well as creating ebooks from RSS feeds so you can have what amounts to free newspapers every day.

And to preempt the repeat of the other deal thread, at £150 you are still paying an early adopters premium. It is very like the early days of DVDs - expensive players and expensive disks. Hardware prices are dropping so hopefully the ludicrous pricing by Waterstones will come into line. However, if you love your books and want to save the planet just a tiny bit then you are unlikely to be disappointed with the hardware - especially if you want to catch up on all of the classics that you can get for free.

Hot! Thats a fab price. For those moaning about the backlight there is a cover that comes with a light built in, its not backlit, but the cover is well designed and lights from the side.

These were over £200 at launch a few months ago.

I think you will find Sony accept that the backlight is the way to go. Their latest model (I think only available in US although website below offers it) has a backlight although I believe it is not rated as highly as this model for it has other issues.

I'm intrigued at why people want a backlight. Do you demand backlights with your books?

Reading on a plane at night for instance. I use a clipon light for books. It would be a good idea to have a backlight installed. Sony has realised the demand for a backlight, so it will be in the next edition of this.

I think you will find Sony accept that the backlight is the way to go. Their latest model (I think only available in US although website below offers it) has a backlight although I believe it is not rated as highly as this model for it has other issues.

The Sony PRS-700 has a front lit LED light, you can buy a light attachment for the PRS-500.

Thanks for that info

Also I can't understand why this unit does not ship with thesaurus/dictionary (next model will incorporate much of 700 with problems ironed out).

Anyone interested in of these that is prepared to wait will get a better model for this price. I know it's stating the obvious, and I agree with all the sentiment that this is a book reader and nothing else. It's just my opinion that very simplistic additions could be added at no extra cost.

Reading on a plane at night for instance. I use a clipon light for books. It would be a good idea to have a backlight installed. Sony has realised the demand for a backlight, so it will be in the next edition of this.

One of the big selling points of E ink is battery life - add a light and wave that goodbye. There are loads of clip on lights for the Sony which use seperate batteries. Or, as others have said, there is a cover which includes a light. Seems a strange strategy from Sony altough I suppose it will be able to be switched off.

E Ink means that viewing is the same as for a book - I was amazed at how clear it was on a train the other day with full sunlight streaming in - I would have had to give up on my DS straight away.

Also I can't understand why this unit does not ship with thesaurus/dictionary (next model will incorporate much of 700 with problems ironed out).

Probably because a dictionary or thesaurus would show the devices weaknesses.
With no keyboard or input method, and slow page turning it's a real PITA to find a word!
There are a few examples of people implementing dictionary look-ups using the number keys and an interative / multi-tap method to enter the letters. Not pretty, and IMHO not that usable. By the time you've selected the third letter, it would have been quicker to fire up google on your phone's browser and search for the word on the interwebbynet!

A dictionary on a PRS-700 would work well, but sadly the device is too expensive and flawed as an ebook IMHO.

Excellent price - compared to what it is selling for elsewhere.
HOWEVER, £150 is too much for what it does. Also, the e-books are way overpriced, and limited in variety.
So warm from me - but thanks for taking the time to post

Anyone know if a date has been given for when Amazon might release the kindle over here?

May be never.

It is a wireless unit that uses something called whispernet.

It has the abilty to download books whilst on the move, and I believe that may be the only way to get books.

Having done a little research the big problem is Kindle/Europe. To have one unit manufactured for the whole of Europe the roaming charge issue comes into play. Who wants to pay roaming charges to download a book? It certainly won't be Amazon. IN US whispernet is available throughout their country

See below for July 2008 report. It's difficult to find proper info on UK release date.

Also, the e-books are way overpriced, and limited in variety.
So warm from me - but thanks for taking the time to post

There are vast numbers of free ebooks available online (legally!), ranging from classical fiction through to technical reference manuals, and you can also upload any old PDF onto the PRS-505 too. I've had to reformat a few PDFs to avoid the need to zoom to read, but that's simple on a Mac and hopefully similarly straightforward on Windows.

I was lucky enough to pick up one of the Expansys refurb units a few months ago at a cheaper price than this, but I think that this price is still hot for an excellent unit. The construction quality is fantastic when compared with competitors' plastic models. My only grumble about mine is the page turn speed, which isn't a problem if you're reading a fiction book from front to back but becomes wearing when you're trying to skim through a reference manual. That's pretty much an issue for any ebook reader at present, so doesn't detract from this particular deal.

I know this is probably the future of books and all. In 10 years I'm guessing everyone will be carrying these and the good old fashioned books will be out of use (like cassette players and CD players to iPods and MP3 players lol).
I've personally never used one of these, and I'm guessing they're probably very sleek, and simple to use (one day I probably will end up owning one). But for now I wanna enjoy the age of the paperback/hardback :) Reading from a little gadget like that just wouldn't feel right :p (not yet atleast).

No back light is a good thing imo - the e-ink gives you the feel of real paper instead of looking at a screen so less eye strain - if you read a back lit book for 2-3 hours that would hurt! Also it makes the battery last for a very long time.

For anyone concerned about Sony warranty the process is very easy - my wife dropped her unit and the power button was destroyed, sent it back in a pain free way to Sony UK (They provide the postage etc.. ) expected a hefty repair bill but they sent it back very quickly and didn't charge us a penny!

the current kindle has space for a sim slot... it has been hacked (with complex soldering) to take a gsm sim.
u can download books thru usb cable from a laptop/pc.
all it takes is eg vodafone to come to an agreement with amazon with revenue sharing (a la apple)...
then the kindle will jump the pond!

i wouldn't hold my breath tho, but i would expect it to arrive in time for xmas.

mrblast:
Anyone know if a date has been given for when Amazon might release the kindle over here?
May be never.

It is a wireless unit that uses something called whispernet.

It has the abilty to download books whilst on the move, and I believe that may be the only way to get books.

Having done a little research the big problem is Kindle/Europe. To have one unit manufactured for the whole of Europe the roaming charge issue comes into play. Who wants to pay roaming charges to download a book? It certainly won't be Amazon. IN US whispernet is available throughout their country

See below for July 2008 report. It's difficult to find proper info on UK release date.

Great price for an excellent product. I took one to NZ with me 3 months ago and my brother loved it so much I left it for him. I bought one on my return 3 weeks ago for £200 so £150 is an absolute steal.

As far as I'm concerned, this device saves me from carrying around 50 physical books when I want to go away somewhere. I don't need a back light because I figure it has enough plus points going for it already ;)

You can see them in the flesh at John Lewis and Waterstones so if you're mildly interested, go check one out.

Even better than the Argos deal - highly recommended for anyone with an interest in reading.

Looks like they are dumping stock for the new model - unfortunately the PRS-700 is a bit of a duffer despite having touchscreen and light. Anyone wanting a reader would be much better to go for the PRS-505, especially at this price. (Seriously considering buying a second 505 at this price, as a back-up.)

Even better than the Argos deal - highly recommended for anyone with an interest in reading.

Looks like they are dumping stock for the new model - unfortunately the PRS-700 is a bit of a duffer despite having touchscreen and light. Anyone wanting a reader would be much better to go for the PRS-505, especially at this price. (Seriously considering buying a second 505 at this price, as a back-up.)

What makes you think their dumping stock? I can't even find a european release date for the PRS-700?

What makes you think their dumping stock? I can't even find a european release date for the PRS-700?

Almost certainly a price cut by Sony. It can't just be a coincidence that retailers like Play, John Lewis and Argos are all cutting their prices. Just a question of time for the rest to follow. Then the new model will be released.

One thing is that the Argos one says it comes with a free disc (while stocks last) with 100 classic books, whereas there's no mention of the disc AFAICT on the Play offer. Maybe not a big prob if the books are on Project Gutenberg.

Excellent product and a great price for it. I payed the full £220 odd for it a few months back from waterstones. I have to say that if I had the choice between a backlit version and the current e-ink version i'd definately stick with what I've got. The e-ink is just like reading a normal book and doesn't strain your eyes in any way that i've noticed. Plus its also way more efficent in terms of power usage.

Oh and I would definately second the calibre suggestion someone made. The s/w sony supply is pretty rubbish.

One thing is that the Argos one says it comes with a free disc (while stocks last) with 100 classic books, whereas there's no mention of the disc AFAICT on the Play offer. Maybe not a big prob if the books are on Project Gutenberg.

i think you can download the disk they are all old out of copyright stuff anyway and can be had from mobilereadforums

If anyone is holding out for the new model (which has been out in the US for a while now), just make sure you do your research. Obviously a built in light is going to drain the battery quicker and some people have complained the screen isn't as good as this model due to the touch screen overlay.

I considered importing a PRS700 and came to the conclusion that I simply don't need touch screen or back light capabilities on a device like this. The new model will most likely be launched at £250+ so unless you're desperate for the new features, I'd save your money and spend it on more books.

Not sure I've ever seen the point of these. Yes great technology, but is it technology for the sake of it ! £150 would buy a lot of books. Sorry but I put this in the same class as the teasmade, why do i want his, why do i need it when a kettle does the same job?

Not sure I've ever seen the point of these. Yes great technology, but is it technology for the sake of it ! £150 would buy a lot of books. Sorry but I put this in the same class as the teasmade, why do i want his, why do i need it when a kettle does the same job?

You have a kettle? Surely by your reasoning a saucepan does the same job! ;-)